This invention relates to mobile equipment for a partially paralyzed person, and more particularly to such equipment that is more compact and highly maneuverable to enable work to be performed by the person in a standing position in confined spaces normally inaccessible by a wheelchair.
Numerous types of mobile equipment have been designed in an effort to accommodate the various needs for an orthopedically disabled person. Recently there has been a recognition of the need for equipment to elevate such a person from a horizontal or sitting position to a standing position. There are therapeutic and medical advantages for a paraplegic to be able to stand in an erect position. The ambulator will make it easier for the paraplegic to live in an environment where most functions are accomplished in an upright position, e.g. cooking at a range or working at a workbench or sink. However, the psychological benefit of the ability to converse at eye level may be the greatest benefit.
This type of equipment is best illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,319 issued Oct. 18, 1977, for "Stand-Aid Wheelchair." In that patented equipment the raising and lowering linkage for the paraplegic is made an integral part of the wheelchair. Although this wheelchair supported the paraplegic in a standing position, because of its size is limited in accessibility to confined areas. In addition, because the linkage is not coordinated with the articulated joints of the occupant's body, it was necessary in the patented equipment to use a narrow flexible lifting strap for raising the person off the wheelchair seat to minimize friction that will displace the person's clothing during the relative movement. For a similar reason, a backrest was necessarily designed to be reciprocable to move with the clothes on the person's back during the raising and lowering operations.
In U.S. Pat. No. Re. 28,103 issued Aug. 6, 1974, entitled "Invalid Mobility Bench" a pair of Farnham-type crutches are anchored on individually movable base carriages which support each foot of the invalid. Each crutch is telescopically power-operated for lifting and lowering the invalid supported therebetween on a fabric sling. The motor in each base carriage is individually controlled by the invalid at the hand grip of each crutch to simulate a walking gait.